DUDE. THE QUINCEANERA. I cant believe... OH MY GOSH. SHE RAN AWAY. SHE ALWAYS RUNS AWAY... gahhhh...! and wyatt! like NO. GET OUT. why can't it be monday every day!? xxx Lottie
Callie's POV
The bell rang loudly through the hallway, and suddenly it was filled with people jostling each other as they tried to get to their respective classes. Brandon was laughing at something I said, his eyes lighting up as we walked. I felt that strange feeling again, in the very bottom of my stomach.
"And over here is the English hallway," he said, pointing down the hallway towards a row of doors painted blue. All the doors were color coded by subject, making it easier to find the classrooms I was looking for. "You have first period with Timothy, he's great." His hand brushed up against my leg and I subconsciously shrank back from him. I know I shouldn't be afraid of him, but anyone touching me makes me think of my step-dad. He's in jail now, and I keep telling myself that I can relax, that I can trust. But this isn't my permanent home, the second I open up they're going to send me away again.
"Brandon!" A high pitched voice called out behind us, and I turned to see an unfamiliar girl bouncing down the hallway, trying to balance in her heels. Brandon stopped as the rest of the students drained out of the hallway.
"Talya, hey." He responded, sticking his hands in his pockets while she closed the distance.
"Hey you! I haven't seen you at all lately. You wanna come over later? My parents are out of town..." She trailed off, placing her hand on his chest and leaning into him.
"Oh um actually..." He started, taking her hand in his and removing it from his chest. "I have plans tonight," he looked over to me frantically, "With Callie actually." His eyes pleaded with me to go along with it, even though we hadn't made any sort of plans for tonight.
"Umm.. yeah. Hi. I'm Callie." I said quickly, waving a little with my hand. She looked at me coldly.
"Oh. I don't think I've met you." She said to me, with hostility in her voice.
"Yeah," Brandon said, angling his body between us, "She's gonna be staying with us for a while."
"Oh." She said, her lips pursed in a tight line. "Well I didn't see you all weekend so-"
"I was showing Callie around." Brandon said, cutting her off. The late bell rang, resonating through the stony silence between the three of us. "So I'll see you around I guess. We have to get to class." Brandon said, gesturing down the hallway.
"Yeah... I guess we do." Talya said, looking defeated. She gave him a really quick peck on the cheek and turned down the hallway. Brandon started walking down the hallway, running his hand through his hair.
"Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah..." I said, following him towards the door. "Who was that and why did I just cover for you?" He turned around and leaned against one of the red lockers.
"That was my girlfriend, Talya." He said, letting out a breath. "And I asked you to cover because I don't think it's going to work out. I don't know she's just changed.." I shifted the weight of my backpack to my other shoulder. The idea of Brandon dating hadn't occurred to me, and it was weird to think about.
"Oh I'm sorry," I said back, looking up at him. "I hope you guys figure it out." I ran a hand through my short layers.
"Thanks. Maybe. Come on Callie, lets get to class." He said, gesturing down the hallway.
xxx
Talya's POV
"And I totally heard that she was arrested before coming here, and this is some punishment for her." I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder. I looked over at Jessica and Mollie, both drinking non-fat lattes from our favorite soy place around the corner.
"God she's such a freak, and she only wears like, three things." Jessica said, twirling her bleached ends and laughing.
"Hey how's it going with Brandon? I heard from Alexa that she heard from Amanda that Jordyn saw you fighting in the hallway." God I hated how fast things spread through Anchor Beach. I smiled at them, after applying a new layer of lip gloss.
"No, we're fine. Just been a little hard to get privacy recently with all the strays in their house."
I laughed a little bit at my own joke.
"Well I heard that she was amish and was exiled for getting pregnant." Mollie added, fixing the strap of her heel. That one was surprising. The bell signaling the end of lunch period rang, and we all groaned.
"See ya girls, lets meet up after school." A chorus of kays and air kisses filled the air around me. I walked across the green towards my history class, before turning into the bathroom. Who else was there but my new friend Callie? She finished drying her hands and turned to leave.
"Oh hi Callie!" I said, blocking the door. "How's it going?" I asked, my voice dripping with fake enthusiasm.
"Oh hi... You're Talya right?" She responded, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail that highlighted her beat up face.
xxx
Callie's POV
Tayla was blocking the bathroom door, smiling her painted smile. Quickly, I saw her smile drop, replaced with a tight lipped scowl.
"Yeah, I'm Brandon's girlfriend. And you need to stay away from him." She put her hand on her hip and continued to stare at me.
"Um excuse me?" I responded, the confused look on my face evident. She narrowed her eyes at me, taking a step closer.
"You heard me," She said again, staring me in the eyes, "Stay away from him. Or else." And with that she turned and left in a cloud of expensive perfume and shampoo.
xxx
Sweat beaded on my forehead, the sand on the asphalt crunching under my feet. The sun beat down on me, but I pushed myself further. The familiar ache returned, the familiar gasping feeling in my lungs. I turned the corner and continued at my pace, my legs burning with every stride. After my confrontation with Talya I had heard three different rumours that she had most definitely started. How can someone be that insecure? I ran harder and faster than I ever had before, finally reaching the Foster's green lawn. I collapsed on the steps, breathing heavily. No one was home yet, Lena and Steph were still at work, Mariana and Jesus had plans and Brandon stayed after school to practice his recital song. I covered my eyes with the crook of my elbow, blocking out the light until my breathing stabilized. I pushed myself off the stairs and headed up to my shared room to change.
Brandon's POV
I opened the door and headed into my house, slinging my backpack onto the floor and kicking off my sneakers. No one was home yet, and I'm pretty sure Callie was still on her run. I grabbed a snack out of the cabinet, running a hand through my hair. My rehearsal had gone well today, I had hit every note right when I was supposed to. I bit into the peach, its juice dripping down my chin. Wiping it away with my sleeve, I headed upstairs, tossing the finished peach in the garbage as I went. I pushed open my door, and saw Callie standing there with a shocked expression on her face. She was wearing her sports bra and shorts, exposing the injuries she had attempted to hide under her clothes. Her body was covered in bruises, that were in different stages of black and blue. There were scratches covering her back and the expression in her eyes had never been so afraid.
"Callie- I didn't know you were home," I said, slowly averting my eyes.
"You're fine, I really shouldn't be changing in here anyways..." She trailed off, grabbing her clothes off the floor and heading for the shared bathroom.
"Callie wait!" I called after her, blocking her from entering the bathroom.
"Why!" She yelled, trying to move past me, "So you can look at my bruises and feel sorry for me?!" I placed a hand on her elbow, and she jerked back from my touch.
"No Callie just listen to me!" She stopped fighting me, looking at me for the first time. "I would never judge you or your past or anything." I started, meeting her eyes. I took her arm in mine, turning it over and examining her bruises. "I can't believe someone did this to you." I said, letting go of her arm.
"Yeah, well try living through it." She responded covering her stomach with her arms.
"Callie, I will never let anyone hurt you like this again."
"How would you be able to do that?," she started, her eyes looking pained, "Who knows how long I'll be here. A month or two, maybe three. Then I'll be shipped off to another house, another family and it will start all over again." I couldn't handle the expression on her face. Callie was so unusually strong, she had lived through so much, and yet all I wanted to do was take it all away. I wanted to erase her past completely. I wrapped my arms around her, and felt her stiffen. She buried her face in my shoulder, and I rested my chin on the top of her head. I felt her muscles unclench and I held her tighter to my chest. It was the first time I had seen Callie cry.